Salutations my friends, how's it hangin?
It has been a while since I last communicated with yall, but I have a story to tell, one that chronicles the life of a truly amazing creature, or at least the parts that I know of...
It all began sometime last summer, when a guy by the name of Rob was visited by a random and lovely guest. It was a raggedy and unkempt kitty cat, with long black and white fur. She just walked right through Rob's open window one summer day, to his great delight and surprise. He had seen the cat around the neighborhood many times since he had moved in a few years prior. She was one of those alley cats whose original human had abandoned her. It was probably some jerk who should never have gotten a cat to begin with. Whoever it was, he had left her all alone in the big wide world to fend for herself.
Rob soon learned that one of the tenants in his building had been feeding her for a few years, and had also kept her indoors during the winter months. But she was mostly an outside cat, who already had a history of living in the back alleys and streets of the big city. She was wild, unshackled, and a tough urban survivor, but at least she had a few human friends.
Her current keeper at the time was the janitor of the building, a cool guy, but he had a few problems, mainly with keeping things balanced and organized. He frequently left his door open, and the cat would roam the halls, sometimes spending time outside in the fresh air, or visiting her new friend Rob's house from time to time.
He learned that the cat's name was Charlotte, and that she pretty much was a part of the building. She would often hang out in the courtyard, soaking up the sun, and greeting anyone she didn't find too scary. As time went on, Rob had become a dear friend of hers, and began putting down food and water bowls of his own. He thought, why not encourage her to visit even more often. He had discussed it with the janitor, and he was cool with it. They could share the task of keeping her well fed, and it gave her another safe place to hang out and chow down.
As the colder months approached, the question of where she would spend the winter came up during one of Rob's discussions with the kitty's keeper. There were a few things that were not working out, and he was looking for someone else to take care of her. Something had come up in his life, some reason why he couldn't care for her anymore. Rob had already been sharing the responsibility of feeding her for a few months at that point, and it wasn't long before he had agreed to look after her for the upcoming winter, someone had to. The two reached an agreement, Rob would become her new keeper, at least temporarily. Perhaps he could eventually find her a more permanent home, but for now, anywhere was better than outside in the freezing cold.
She took to living with him immediately. She was content with her new human buddy, always purring, and playing, and just being a happy well adjusted kitty. She was actually friendlier than your average cat, and highly affectionate. The two spent the winter together, basically curled up in a ball under the blankets, and they were quite happy that way.
When the spring came around, and the snow began to melt, she resumed her usual daily outdoor activities. By the time the summer had arrived, her fur had grown back to a shaggy knotted mess, as it had been the previous summer. Something had to be done about that fur! Amazingly, within a few days of that realization, she popped in through the window with a brand new fur-cut. It was adorable, one of those lion style cuts, with longer fur on the feet, tail, and head. Rob was quite fond of her new fur, but was certain that her previous keeper didn't take her to the groomer, so who did? He had often wondered if she had any other human friends around the neighborhood, and now he was aware that there were at least three people caring for her. He had to wonder, exactly how many human friends did Charlotte have?
Summer turned to fall, and fall lead back to winter. By then Rob had been taking care of the cat for over a year, but always remembered in the back of his mind, it was only temporary. The plan all along had been to find her a more permanent home, a better one, a bigger one, perhaps with a nice family to look after her. It was also a question of money. Rob could afford to feed her, to love her, to give her warmth. But his place was small, and things like veterinary and grooming bills were a strain on his budget. She had always seemed to have some minor respiratory problems, usually just a bit of wheezing and coughing. It was around those months, that someone knocked on Rob's door. It was a new person he had never met before, another friend of Charlotte's, a nice young lady. Interesting, there were at least four known keepers...
The young lady had also been feeding and and caring for the beautiful kitty over the years. She had managed to track Rob down before the weather got too cold, and they spoke about Charlotte's health. This young lady was not the same person who brought her to the groomer that summer, but she had decided to take her to the vet. They now had the required medicine for kitty's ailment, and that was one less thing to worry about. Rob could now give her the treatment she had been needing, and would continue to look after her during the winter.
Only about a month later, two new friends of Charlotte's were introduced, a man and his daughter who wished to permanently adopt her. Soon afterwards, Rob met even more people, two more in fact! It turned out that this sweet orphan cat didn't only have a few human friends, there were at least eight known keepers at that point. She was a local legend. In reality, no one really knows how many human friends she has had. What they did know, is that she had survived at least seven cold winters, all thanks to an exceptional network of kind hearted people.
And that is the story of the legendary Charlotte, perhaps one of the most beloved stray cats of all time.
